In spring, all things come back to life, and the body's yang energy rises. The internal heat and toxins accumulated in the five zang and six fu organs begin to manifest as spring dryness, leading to an excess of liver fire, bodily inflammation, and symptoms such as canker sores, a sore throat, constipation, and dark spots. Coupled with the warming weather, the body loses a significant amount of water, and the unpredictable overcast and sunny conditions make it difficult to maintain balance and stability in the body's metabolism.
Tremella and Mung Bean Soup
Light Diet—Extinguish Spring Fire
People are prone to "internal heat" in spring, with symptoms like a yellow tongue coating, a bitter taste in the mouth, and a dry throat. Therefore, the diet should be light, avoiding greasy, raw, cold, and irritating foods. Those with obvious signs of internal heat can eat heat-clearing foods such as mung bean soup, honeysuckle tea, chrysanthemum tea, and water infused with lotus seed cores.
Pungent and Sweet Flavors—Nourish Spring Yang
Slightly pungent foods like scallions, ginger, chives, and garlic sprouts are foods that nourish the spring qi. The ancient medical text "Qian Jin Fang" from the Tang Dynasty says, "In the second and third months, it is easy to eat chives." Eating these foods is very beneficial for the body's spring yang energy generation.
Reduce Sourness, Increase Sweetness—Protect the Spleen and Stomach
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is the season when the liver, one of the five organs, is dominant. It is advisable to consume foods that are pungent, warm, and ascending in nature, while raw, cold, and sticky foods should be eaten in moderation to avoid harming the spleen and stomach. Therefore, in spring, one should appropriately eat more sweet foods and fewer sour ones.
Friends with a weak spleen and stomach should eat more Chinese yam, jujubes, and lotus seed congee in the spring to control excessive liver qi and prevent the worsening of symptoms like bloating caused by chronic stomach diseases and chronic hepatitis.
Yellow and Green Vegetables—Prevent Spring Drowsiness
"Spring drowsiness" makes the body feel tired and the spirit listless. One should eat more red, yellow, and dark green vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, tomatoes, green peppers, and celery, which are very helpful for restoring energy and eliminating spring drowsiness.
Choose Foods Carefully—Reduce Illness
As the spring temperature gradually rises, bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms begin to reproduce and become more active, easily invading the body and causing disease. Therefore, the diet should provide sufficient vitamins and minerals.
Fresh vegetables like kale, Chinese broccoli, and broccoli, and fruits like citrus and lemons are rich in vitamin C and have antiviral properties. Yellow-green vegetables like carrots and spinach are rich in vitamin A, which helps protect and enhance the function of the upper respiratory tract mucosa and respiratory epithelial cells, thereby resisting the invasion of various pathogenic factors.
Gastrointestinal Diseases—Be Cautious
Diseases such as gastric and duodenal ulcers tend to flare up in spring. The diet should avoid consuming broths, chicken soup, fish soup, animal organs, and irritating condiments rich in substances like creatine and purine alkaloids. These foods strongly stimulate gastric acid secretion or form gas, causing bloating and increasing the burden on the gastrointestinal tract.
Expel Phlegm and Nourish the Lungs—Ensure Well-being
Chronic bronchitis and bronchitis are also prone to flare up in spring. It is advisable to eat more foods that expel phlegm, strengthen the spleen, nourish the kidneys, and moisten the lungs, such as loquats, oranges, pears, walnuts, and honey, which can help alleviate symptoms.
Silver ear green bean soup